June 13th

Events:
1381 – A group of rebels marched into London, opposing the minor King Richard II’s government. The rebellion started in Southern England, then moved across the country. Richard was being held for his safety within the Tower of London, but came out to meet with the rebels. The negotiations failed. The Peasant’s Revolt, as its called, then proceeded to ransack the city, and burned Savoy Palace, an opulent residence belonging to Richard’s uncle, John of Gaunt.

1625 – Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland and Princess Henrietta Maria of France were married in Canterbury. Henrietta would not ever be crowned as Queen, because she refused to be crowned in an Anglican service, and having a Catholic perform hers was unacceptable to Charles. The marriage was frigid at first, but warmed up after a couple years.

1981 – A teenager, Marcus Sarjeant, fires six blank shots at Queen Elizabeth II during the Trooping the Colour ceremony. He was detained, tried, and spent time in prison.

Birthdays:
1965 – In not so dead royalty, Infanta Cristina, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca is born in Madrid to the future King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia. She is currently seventh in line for the throne and is active in many charitable organizations.

Deaths:
1886 – The deposed King Ludwig II of Bavaria was found dead on the shores of Lake Starnberg in his home country. Three days before, a document was delivered to him declaring him incapable of ruling due to paranoia and mental illness. The document was signed off by four doctors who had never examined him. His cause of death remains a mystery. The official cause of death was suicide by drowning, but the autopsy said he had no water in his lungs. There were later reports of him being shot and strangled. He is most famous for his buildings in Bavaria, which include the famous castle of Neuschwanstein.

1918 – Russian Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich is killed by Bolshevik forces after the Revolution of 1917. He was the younger brother of the overthrown Nicholas II, and when Nicholas formally abdicated, he did so in favour of Michael, instead of his young son, Alexei, the hemophiliac. Michael refused to take the throne until his Tsardom was confirmed by the Duma. Of course he was never confirmed, and was arrested like the rest of his family. He is not generally counted in the line of Tsars.